As Senior Regional Stewardship Manager in the MetroWest region, Mike Francis is deeply involved in the care and operations of many of the Trustees’ special places. He works closely with a dedicated team of stewards to ensure the upkeep and maintenance of the MetroWest regions reservations, ensuring members and visitors alike are met with an experience unlike any other when they visit the Trustees.

The MetroWest region includes properties that range from working farms, to historic homes and museums, hiking reservations, falls, meadows, woods, and more. Mike and his team know these places like the back of their hand and dedicate their days to maintaining the properties and caring for them at the highest level.

Mike is known for his knowledge sharing. “Some people hold their knowledge cards close where Mike doesn’t do that,” shared D.A. Hayden, Regional Vice President for the MetroWest. “Mike sets the stage with what he knows and what he believes his team should know before they embark on a project.”

In his role, Mike is regarded as a person who embodies everything that anybody could possibly think of as a staff member of the Trustees. His team respects him. Our communities respect him, and colleagues firmly believe the land respects him.

Earlier this fall we sat down with Mike to hear about his day to day work with The Trustees and some of his cherished memories. Read on for some highlights and watch the full video below.

What do you do at The Trustees?

I’m the Senior Regional Stewardship Manager in the MetroWest region. What drew me to the Trustees was the mission. It connects each one of us to the open space that we protect, and we really want people to use and enjoy these properties. And to be part of that is just a really a fun job to have. 

What does a typical workday look like for you?

Really, no two days are alike. As the senior regional stewardship manager, I work on the operational needs of the properties and the day-to-day operations and really play a support role for all the other staff. I think it’s really about stepping out into the landscape that kind of grounds you each day in the work that you do, and then the people that you interact with throughout the day keeps you coming back.

In reading the Trustees mission, stewardship is mentioned. What do you think it means to be a steward?

To me, being a steward means being a caregiver, one that is caring for the land, the resources, and also each other. When I found out I was employee of the year, I was surprised, honored and humble at the thought, thinking about all the other great staff that work for the organization. Just an amazing group of people, whether they’re staff or volunteers, and I really try to seek to understand the experience that they bring, the backgrounds that they come from, and try to integrate that into our priorities.